


The Sins Of The Father

by AwkwardBabyGiraffe



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: A LOT of Angst, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hostage Situations, Kidnapping, M/M, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-11 11:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7891273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardBabyGiraffe/pseuds/AwkwardBabyGiraffe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Wait. I just got a text from him.” Barba told them, feeling bad worrying all of them. He quickly opened the message, his heart stopping when he saw the picture attached. The color drained from his face and his hand shook.</p>
<p>“Barba?” Liv asked gently, frightened by the man's change in demeanor. He didn't respond but instead stumbled back, his knees suddenly becoming weak. Fin quickly caught him, directing him to a chair. “Barba, what's wrong?”</p>
<p>The counselor looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes, handing her the phone so she could see for herself. Her hand flew to her mouth with a gasp when she saw the photo. It was dark but the harsh flash illuminated Carisi's scowling face. He was tied to a chair, his hands bound behind his back in a way that had to be painful. His dark blonde hair was violently tousled, falling into his face from its gelled place. His eyes were red from the bright light and his white dress shirt was torn and bloody. With a bruised cheek, a bleeding nose, and a busted lip, it was obvious that he had been beaten. Below the photo was a single sentence: </p>
<p>This isn't over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Verdict

“We the jury, find the defendant, Charles Monroe, guilty on all charges.” Sonny let out a sigh of relief at those words, the tension in his shoulders finally releasing for the first time in weeks. This had been one of the hardest cases of his career by far. The squad had arrested the defendant, Charles Monroe, for the rape of over a dozen young boys over the past decade. The investigation had been rough but the trial had been much worse. They barely managed to convince the boys to testify and on the stand, Monroe's lawyer, who of course had to be Buchanan, had been ruthless. But they had done it. _Barba_ had done it.

“Members of the jury, the state of New York thanks you for your service. Charles Monroe, you are remanded back to Rikers until sentencing.” the judge declared with a bang of his gavel.

Sonny locked eyes with the triumphant A.D.A from across the room, hanging back to fall into step beside him. Resisting the urge to pull him close, the young detective discreetly hooked their pinkies and said softly, “Congratulations, Counselor.”

“Thank you, Detective.” the older man smiled slyly, subtly pulling Sonny to the side as they entered the lobby of the courthouse. In a low, hushed voice, Barba smirked, “I was hoping we can properly celebrate later tonight. My place? 7 o'clock? I'll cook.” Carisi made a face. “Okay, fine. You'll cook.”

“Much better.” Carisi grinned, pulling away as Fin, Liv, Amanda, and Dodds joined them. The rest of the squad already knew about their relationship but they tried to stay professional during work.

“Good work, Barba. You did it.” Liv greeted, obviously pleased with the guilty verdict. Barba scoffed, folding his coat over the crook of his arm.

“Was there ever any doubt?” he teased as they followed the departing crowd out of the building.

“To be honest, it looked a bit touch and go there for a while.” Dodds admitted. Barba shot him a dirty look.

“Well, I had total faith in you.” Sonny assured him, pulling his coat tighter around his body as they stepped into the brisk winter air. On the courthouse steps, Buchanan was talking to the press; Monroe's three adult sons stood behind him with furious looks on their faces. Throughout the entire investigation and trial, they had insisted that their father was innocent and was being set up by the police.

“Today, the justice system failed my client but this is far from over. Thank you.” Buchanan finished, leading the defendant's sons away. Each of the men closely resembled their father. They shared the same dark brown hair and beady, black eyes that gave Carisi the creeps. The eldest of the three, Isaac, saw the group and immediately stormed over to them.

“You're going to pay for this!” he threatened them, pointing an accusing finger at the A.D.A. Sonny protectively stepped in front of his boyfriend, he usually kind eyes narrowed dangerously. “My father is innocent!”

“You're father raped fourteen boys. He got exactly what he deserved.” he spat, his Staten Island accent thick with disgust. Isaac Monroe's furious gaze settled on the youngest detective, looking him over menacingly. Before things could escalate any further, Liv pushed herself between the two men while Buchanan pulled Isaac away.

“That's enough.” the defense lawyer hissed in his ear. Isaac's face was an impressive shade of red and his fists were clenched by his sides.

“This isn't over.” he huffed before storming off. His two brothers and lawyer followed after him, leaving the group at the steps. Sonny shook his head and turned to his comrades.

“Even after all of this, they still refuse to accept that their dad is guilty.” he sighed.

“Well, they can believe whatever they want.” Fin said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Its over now.”

“Good thing, too.” Amanda told them, checking the time on her phone. “I told my sitter that I'd be back by 5:30. I'll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Give Jessie a hug for me.” Sonny called after her as the others said their own goodbyes. She gave him a smile and a wave before getting into a cab. Fin, Liv, and Dodds left soon after, leaving Barba and Carisi alone on the steps of the courthouse.

“I have to head back to my office to finish some paperwork.” Barba told Sonny, intertwining their fingers by their sides. “See you tonight?”

“Wouldn't miss it.” the detective smiled, squeezing his hand. The two said goodbye before parting as well. Sonny was walking on air as he made his way to his apartment. They had closed the case, Charles Monroe was going to rot in prison for the rest of his life, and now Carisi had dinner plans with his boyfriend. Things couldn't be better.

Thirty minutes later, after buying a celebratory cannoli, Carisi reached the front door of his small apartment. He had barely made it through the doorway when he heard a noise behind him. Before he could react, something hard cracked against the back of his neck and everything went black.

***

Barba tried not to worry as he waited in the elevator. Sonny had probably come back to the squad room to finish some paper work and lost track of the time. His phone had probably died, too. He was always forgetting to put it on the charger. Sonny was fine. He was always fine. Barba was just being paranoid.

Finally, the elevator doors slid open and he practically ran into the squad room. His stomach dropped when he saw that his boyfriend's desk was empty. _Calm down, Rafael. He could be in Liv's office._ As if on cue, the door to Liv's office opened and the lieutenant herself stepped out. She frowned when she saw her friend's concerned expression. “Barba, is everything okay?”

“I'm not sure.” the A.D.A admitted, nervously pulling his phone from his pocket. His fingers fumbled with the small device and his voice shook as he told Liv, “Sonny was suppose to come over to my place an hour and a half ago but he never showed. I tried calling him but he's not answering his phone. I was hoping that he was here and just lost track of time.”

“I haven't seen him since the courthouse.” Liv shrugged, her brown eyes scanning the squad room for any sign of her detective. She walked over to Fin and Dodds, who were still working at their desks. “Have you guys heard from Carisi?”

“No.” they both answered, looking up from their work. Barba let out a huff and dialed his boyfriend's number once again.

“Its not like him to disappear like this.” he murmured, cursing quietly when the call went straight to voice mail.

“Barba, relax. I'm sure he's fine.” Liv told him soothingly, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. The older man took a deep breath, knowing she was probably right.

“I'll call Rollins and see if she's heard from him.” Dodds said, reaching for his phone.

“I can call his sister.” Fin suggested with a shrug as Dodds talked quietly with Amanda on the phone.

“No.” Barba shook his head. “I don't want to worry his family if nothing's wrong.”

“Maybe he's at his apartment.” Liv offered, slowly becoming worried. Carisi was always on time and almost always answered his phone.

“I already checked there. There's no one home.” Barba sighed.

“Amanda says she hasn't heard from him either.” Dodds announced, his phone still at his ear. By now, the entire group was worried. This wasn't like Carisi at all. Something was horribly wrong.

“Okay, let's all just stay calm.” Liv told them. “Barba and I will go to his apartment. You two stay here in case he shows up.”

“Amanda wants to know what she can do to help.” Dodds called out as Liv took Barba by the elbow, pulling him to the elevator.

“Tell her to stay where she is for now. I'll call her when we know more.” Liv ordered. As Dodds relayed the message, Barba's phone dinged. The A.D.A let out a sigh of relief when he saw Sonny's name on the screen.

“Wait. I just got a text from him.” Barba told them, feeling bad worrying all of them. He quickly opened the message, his heart stopping when he saw the picture attached. The color drained from his face and his hand shook.

“Barba?” Liv asked gently, frightened by the man's change in demeanor. He didn't respond but instead stumbled back, his knees suddenly becoming weak. Fin quickly caught him, directing him to a chair. “Barba, what's wrong?”

The counselor looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes, handing her the phone so she could see for herself. Her hand flew to her mouth with a gasp when she saw the photo. It was dark but the harsh flash illuminated Carisi's scowling face. He was tied to a chair, his hands bound behind his back in a way that had to be painful. His dark blonde hair was violently tousled, falling into his face from its gelled place. His eyes were red from the bright light and his white dress shirt was torn and bloody. With a bruised cheek, a bleeding nose, and a busted lip, it was obvious that he had been beaten. Below the photo was a single sentence:

_**This isn't over.** _

 


	2. The Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Monroe brothers call Barba with their demands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love! I'm really glad you guys liked the first chapter and I hope you like the second chapter just as much!

Everything hurt. His arms were twisted uncomfortably behind his back, his wrists were bound together with what felt like a zip tie, and there was a stabbing pain at the base of his skull that ached in time with his pounding heartbeat. Carisi groaned as he forced his eyes open, blinking furiously against the dim light. Straining his sore neck, he lifted his heavy head and took in his surroundings. He was in a dark, cold room with no windows and concrete walls. A basement, maybe?

A table sat a few feet away; his jacket, phone, gun, and badge sat on top of it. He was still wearing his black vest and tie but the sleeves of his shirt had been rolled up past his elbows. Somewhere behind him, a door opened and multiple pairs of footsteps approached him. “Look who's finally awake. I was afraid I hit you too hard.”

Carisi groaned, recognizing the voice. Isaac Monroe and his two brothers stepped out from behind the detective, each wearing menacing expressions. Well, except for the youngest one, Henry. He just seemed uncomfortable, like he really didn't want to be there. Although fear coursed through his veins, Carisi tried to remain calm as he antagonized, “Kidnapping a cop, Isaac? I guess the apple didn't fall far from the crazy tree.”

Before he could blink, Isaac's fist connected with Carisi's face, snapping his head backwards. The taste of hot copper filled his mouth as his bottom lip split open. A pained groan escaped his throat as he spat blood onto the floor. Isaac pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans and shoved it in his face with a growl. “You better shut the hell up before you make this worse for yourself.”

“What are you gonna do,” Carisi scoffed, setting his jaw as he met his kidnappers gaze. He knew he should probably just stay quiet but he had never been very good at keeping his mouth shut. “kill me? You're dumber than I thought.”

The butt of the gun came down, cracking against Carisi's cheekbone and tearing open his skin. The detective let out a grunt of pain, nearly falling to the side from the force of the hit. The middle brother, Blake, grabbed his shoulders, keeping him in place while Isaac grabbed a fistful of his hair and jerked his head back. Carisi could feel blood trickle from his nose as Isaac spat, “I'm not gonna kill you. You're no good to me dead. But I will beat the ever-loving shit out of you if you keep running your mouth.”

The detective bit back the insults that formed on his tongue, knowing that speaking would only make the situation worse. Whether he liked it or not, the Monroe brothers were in charge here and if he wanted to get out of this alive, he would have to play his cards very carefully. Isaac nodded, satisfied with his silence. “I thinks its time we sent your boyfriend a message. I'm sure he's worried about you.”

Isaac released Sonny and moved to the table, picking up his phone and tossing it to Blake who unlocked it with Sonny's fingerprint. He then passed it back to Isaac. “Smile!”

Carisi grimaced as the flash went off, followed by the click of the camera and the _whoosh_ of a message being sent. The young detective cursed and hung his head. They knew about his relationship with Barba. They had either done their research or they had been watching them for a while. Either way, it meant that this wasn't some half-assed scheme they had come up with after the verdict. They had put a lot of thought and planning into this. Isaac smirked and let Carisi's phone fall to the ground before crushing it beneath his shoe. “We told you this wasn't over.”

“So whats next, Isaac?” Sonny shrugged, unable to stay quiet any longer. “You've got me here but now what are you gonna do, huh?”

“Now,” Blake spoke up from behind him, pulling a burner phone from his jacket pocket. He tossed it to his brother and continued, “you're gonna make a phone call.”

***

“This can't be happening. This can't be happening.” Barba repeated to himself, his head falling into his hands. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to get the image of Sonny hurt and bleeding out of his head. He _knew_ something bad had happened but he had been hoping that he was wrong. Now Sonny, _his_ Sonny, was being held hostage somewhere. Barba's leg bounced from nerves as he raised his head to look around the room. The squad had immediately leapt into action.

“Alright, Fin, call TARU. Have them track Carisi's phone and analyze this photo. See if they can find anything that might tell them where he is. Dodds, I want you to go over his credit card purchases, phone calls, everything. I want to know where he went after he left the courthouse.” Liv ordered, her voice amazingly calm despite the panic she felt inside. Her squad was her family and right now, someone was threatening her family.

“What do you want me to tell Rollins?” the sargent asked, pointing to the phone that was still in his hand.

“Tell her to drop Jessie off with Lucy at my apartment and get over here. One of our own is in trouble. We're going to need all the help we can get.” Liv told him. He immediately relayed the message and hung up the phone.

“She's on her way.” Dodds told her before going to work on his task.

“I never should had left him alone.” Barba said, his voice barely a whisper. Liv shook her head and pulled up a chair to sit beside him.

“Barba, no. Don't do this to yourself.” she told him firmly. “This isn't your fault.”

“Isaac Monroe threatened him right in front of me and I just let him go.” Barba insisted, feeling stupid for not taking the man's threat seriously.

“Are you sure that Monroe's the one who took him?” Liv asked, her calm voice giving nothing away. She felt just as guilty as Barba did. She had also heard the man's threat but she never thought that he would act on it. To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure he had it in him. Sure, Isaac Monroe was a scumbag but kidnapping a detective? He wasn't _that_ crazy. Was he?

“I'm sure.” Barba nodded, feeling sick to his stomach. “The text said _This isn't over_. Monroe said the same thing to us outside the courthouse today.”

“Okay.” Liv sighed, squeezing his hand. “I'll have Dodds check into the Monroe brothers' expenses and properties. They're probably holding him in a building they own or rent. In the meantime, I'm going to take a CSU team to Carisi's apartment. Rollins will be here soon so I want you to wait here until-”

“No, I'm going with you.” Barba shook his head defiantly, rising to his feet. Liv stood and twisted her hands together, something she did when she was nervous or felt uncomfortable.

“I'm not sure that's a good idea.” she told him.

“This isn't up for debate. I'm going with you whether you like it or not.” the A.D.A's no-nonsense tone left no room for argument. Liv sighed, her hands dropping to her sides in defeat. She knew there was no point to fighting him on this. He was going to do what he wanted no matter what she said.

“Alright.” she gave in. “Lets go.”

Before they even took a step towards the elevator, a phone began ringing. Every head in the squad room snapped towards the sound, including the men from TARU, who had just arrived and were setting up their equipment on a nearby desk. Fin called out, “Uh, Barba? You're getting a call from a blocked number.”

Barba's hand trembled as he took his phone from the detective. Liv eyed it suspiciously and pointed to the men from TARU. “Trace this call.”

The men nodded and began typing furiously at their laptops as Barba took a deep breath and answered the phone, putting it on speaker. “Hello?”

“Raf?” Carisi's hoarse voice answered. Barba let out a sigh of relief, his head dropping. He was alive. Sonny was alive.

“Sonny, thank God. Are you okay? Where are you?” he couldn't stop himself as the questions flew from his mouth; he wasn't sure what he wanted to know first.

“I've been better.” he admitted, making Barba's stomach turn. “I don't know where I am but there's three men here who want to talk to you.”

“Hello, Counselor.” Isaac Monroe's cold voice rose from the phone, confirming their suspicions. “Did you get our text? I'm usually not a fan of dramatics but we needed to make sure you realize that we're not playing around.”

“You've got my attention, Monroe. Now, what do want?” Barba demanded, struggling to keep his voice steady. He'd be no use to Sonny if he wasn't in control of his emotions. The man laughed on the other end of the phone.

“Isn't obvious? We want our father and we're willing to trade a perfectly good detective for him.” Isaac scoffed.

“You're father is at Rikers. He's a convicted felon. I can't just ask the warden to hand him over.” the A.D.A tried to reason.

“I don't want to hear you're excuses, Counselor! Either you release our father or I kill your boyfriend!” he threatened, his raised voice making Barba flinch. He shot Liv a desperate look.

_Keep him talking._ She mouthed before talking quietly to the men from TARU. Barba pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut.

“You don't understand. Its not that simple. I don't have the authority to do what you're asking.” The shaking in his hands worsened as anxiety began to build in the pit of his stomach, making him sick. Isaac mumbled a curse.

“So that's the way you want to play? Okay, then. Hold his head!” he ordered to someone on the other end of the call. The team heard a struggle followed by muffled grunts. “Alright, Counselor, here's whats about to happen! I have a gun in your boyfriend's mouth and in five seconds, I'm gonna pull the trigger! Five!”

“No! Wait! Lets just talk about this for a second!” Barba panicked, his heart pounding in his chest. The image of Sonny with a gun in his mouth was too much. This was _all_ too much.

“You had your chance to talk!” Isaac growled. “Four!”

“Please, no! I'll do whatever you want!”

“You know what I want, Counselor! Three!”

“Just stop!”

“I'm about to pull the trigger! Two!”

“Alright, fine! I'll do it! Please, just stop!” Barba shouted, tears burning his eyes. Liv, Fin, and Dodds looked just as horrified as he felt as the line was silent for a long while. A few moments later, they heard Carisi coughing and gasping.

“Good choice, Counselor. I call back in an hour with instructions.” Isaac told them before the line went dead. Barba collapsed into the nearest chair, his body trembling and his chest heaving. He was going to be sick.

“Tell me you got a location.” he croaked, looking up at Liv with tear-filled eyes. The lieutenant looked to the men from TARU with a hopeful expression.

“I'm sorry. He was using a burner phone. The signal kept jumping.” one of them said with a sad shake of his head. The entire team let out exasperated sighs and Barba fell back into the chair, completely drained. After all of that, they had nothing.

“So we're no closer to finding him.” Barba groaned, running his hands down his face.

“Don't worry, Barba. We're gonna find him.” Fin assured him. The usually suave man seemed just as distraught as him.

“He's going to be okay.” Liv promised, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Barba let out a raged sigh, “I hope you're right.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN. DUN. Sorry I couldnt resist...  
> I hope you liked this chapter! Be sure to leave comments and kudos!


	3. The Video

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barba and Liv visit Carisi's apartment.

Carisi's jaw ached from where it had been violently pried open by Blake and he could still taste the gun on his tongue. When Isaac had shoved that gun in his mouth, he was almost certain that he was going to die. He nearly sobbed in relief when the gun was pulled away and tucked back into his kidnapper's waistband. Isaac hung up the phone and he and his brothers headed for the door behind Carisi.

“You're not gonna get away with this.” Sonny croaked, his chest heaving. The brothers stopped. “Even if you get your father back, this wont be over. Where ever you go, where ever you hide, we'll find you.”

“We'll see about that.” Isaac smirked, nodding to his younger brothers. They left, leaving the young detective alone in the cold, dark basement with nothing but his thoughts. Sonny's head drooped forward and hot tears began to gather in his eyes. He was in a lot of trouble and he honestly wasn't sure he would make it out of this situation alive. As a cop, he was use to being in the line of fire but this was different. He had never been singled out like this. He'd never had to face a perp on his own with no weapon and no back up.

Sonny would give anything to be back with the squad. He'd gladly endure Rollins and Fin's playful teasing or Barba's sarcastic remarks. _Barba._ His heart ached just at the thought of his boyfriend. On the phone, Barba had sounded so distraught and desperate. Sonny hated knowing that his love was in pain. Barba would find him, though. That he was sure of. The A.D.A was relentless and wouldn't stop until Sonny was in his arms once again.

Carisi looked over to his jacket on the table. His rosary was probably still in the inside pocket, right where he left it. He wished he had it in his hands. He longed for its familiar weight between his fingers. Carisi let out a ragged breath and bowed his head. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he closed his eyes, his lips forming a silent prayer.

***

Barba was silent during the ride to Carisi's apartment. He stared out of the window, his green eyes stony and distant. Rain slammed against the windshield, reflecting the A.D.A's mood. Liv watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye as she drove. After several, long minutes of agonizing silence, she cleared her throat and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Peachy.” Barba answered shortly, not even bothering to look at her. Liv couldn't blame him. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling right then. When her phone chimed, she glanced down and saw that she had just received a text from Tucker. A small smile formed on her lips as she read the message.

_**Tucker: On my way.** _

“Tucker is going to meet as at Carisi's apartment. He says he wants to help in whatever way he can.” Liv told Barba, hoping that the idea of more help would lift his spirits. Instead, the man just rolled his eyes.

“Well thank God Tucker's on the case. I feel _so_ much better now.” he drawled sarcastically. Liv held her tongue but her grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckles turning white. Barba noticed this and sighed, regretting his biting words. None of this was Liv's fault. She was doing the best she could. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. This whole situation is just so...”

“I know. Believe me, I do.” she assured him. Barba was quiet for a few moments as he struggled to find his words.

“Liv, you've been on the other side of a hostage situation.” he began, unsure if he should continue. He knew this was a sensitive subject for her but he needed to know. “What's it like? What's Sonny feeling right now.”

“Well,” she sighed, thinking back to the darkest moments of her life. She hated that Carisi, bright, joyful Carisi, was going through this. “its terrifying, for starters. I never knew if I was going to make it out alive. I felt completely powerless. I'm going to be honest, Barba, its not going to be easy for him to recover from this. Its going to take a lot of time and patience.”

“I know and I'll do whatever it takes.” Barba nodded as they pulled up in front of Carisi's apartment building. “I just want him back.”

“We'll get him back.” Liv assured him, taking his hand. She gave it a comforting squeeze. “I promise.”

Barba managed a small smile before stepping out of the car and into the rain. The CSU team had beat them there and were already working inside of his apartment when they reached his floor. Barba lingered outside of the door, looking into Carisi's home, unsure if he really wanted to enter. Liv laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging nod. He took a deep breath and followed her in.

Nothing seemed out of place which either meant that Sonny hadn't struggled or, they had caught him off guard. Barba decided that the second option was the most likely one. Sonny was a fighter; he never would have gone with the Monroe brothers quietly. Liv approached one of the men from CSU and asked, “What have we got so far?”

“Nothing much, I'm afraid.” the man answered, handing her an iPad. “Security tapes show Detective Carisi entering the building at 5:53. The Monroe brothers enter a few seconds later and at 6:01, the camera in the back alley shows them carrying him into a van.”

Barba watched the security tape over Liv's shoulder, his fists clenching as it showed the Monroe brothers dragging Sonny's limp body out of the building and throwing him into the back of a van. Liv sighed, shaking her head. “Alright, send this to TARU. See if they can clean this image up and get a license plate number.”

“Will do, Lieutenant.” the man nodded, taking the iPad back. “Also, we couldn't find any evidence of a struggle here in the apartment but we did find a few drops of blood over by the door. We're sending it in to be tested but we're pretty sure it belongs to Detective Carisi. We think they ambushed him in the hallway when his back was turned.”

“Fucking cowards.” Barba grumbled, turning away.

“Good job.” Liv told the man, who nodded in gratitude before going back to his work. Liv sighed and turned to Barba. “There's not much we can do here. Lets head back to the squad room and wait for Monroe to call.”

“Alright.” Barba agreed, trudging to the exit. Tucker suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking sympathetic and troubled. The A.D.A nodded to the other man. “Tucker.”

“Barba.” he replied, offering the man a hand, which he shook. “I'm so sorry about Carisi. I'll do whatever I can to help.”

“I appreciate it.” he replied shortly. Tucker had given Barba and Carisi a lot of grief when he first found out about their relationship and even though he had eventually come around, Barba still didn't trust, or like, the IAB captain. Barba looked to Liv and said, “I'll go wait in the car.”

“Okay.” she nodded, watching him with a sad smile as he left the apartment. She let out a tired sigh as Tucker gently took her hands.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked softly, running his thumbs across her knuckles. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shook her head.

“No.” she admitted. When she first met Carisi, she hadn't liked him. He had been insensitive and rough around the edges but he had grown so much over the next several months. He was a constant source of optimism in their deary job and she had soon come to think of him as a part of her family. She knew what it was like to be taken hostage by a madman and she wished she could spare him the pain and fear she had felt.

“Everything is going to be fine. Carisi's a fighter. You know that.” Tucker assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She closed her eyes and melted in his embrace. “Just tell me what you need and I'll do it.”

“Just stay with me, please.” she whispered into the fabric of his jacket. His arms tightened around her.

“Okay.” he replied. “I'm not leaving.”

“We're going to find him, right?” she asked, her voice small. She pulled back and met Tucker's gaze. “Tell me we're going to find him.”

Tucker gave her a small smile, cupping her face in his hands. “We're going to find him.”

Liv let out a sigh, feeling much more hopeful. She took Tucker's hand and led him to the hallway. “Come on. We need to get back to the squad room. The Monroe brothers will be calling again soon and we need to be there when they do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love Tucker and Liv's relationship so I wanted to incorporate it into this fic. Be sure to let me know what you think


	4. The Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad waits for the Monroe brothers to call with instructions.

Amanda felt sick to her stomach as she stared at the pictures on the board in the squad room. The Monroe brothers' drivers license photos were pinned up next to a copy of the photo Barba had received of Carisi. Although the squad room was buzzing with activity, Amanda was frozen, unable to tear her gaze away from the images. She couldn't believe this was happening to Sonny Carisi, of all people. He was so cheerful and kind; always seeing the best in people even when they didn't deserve it. This shouldn't be happening to him.

“Hey, you okay?” Amanda jumped as she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder. She turned to see Fin watching her with a concerned expression. She nodded and forced herself to look away from the board.

“I just cant believe this is happening. I mean, Carisi is just so-” she couldn't even finish the sentence before tears caught in her throat. She dropped her head as her eyes began to burn. “He's my best friend, Fin.”

“I know, Amanda. Believe me, I do.” he told her, wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders. To be honest, this whole situation was getting to him, too. He had just spent the last twenty minutes in the bathroom with his head between his knees, fighting the urge to throw up. Sure, he hadn't necessarily liked Carisi when they first met but the kid had a good heart and had slowly but surely grown on the older detective. “We're gonna get him back. Squad is family and we always take care of our family.”

Rollins nodded against his shoulder and pulled away, wiping her face dry. She needed to stay strong. “You're right.”

Fin mustered up a small smile and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before reluctantly going back to the bullpen. With an exhausted sigh, he settled down behind his desk, itching to be doing something, anything, useful. Liv and Barba had gone to Carisi's apartment with a CSU unit, TARU was analyzing the photo and phone call from Barba's cell, hoping they could find something that would tell them where he was being held, and Dodds was furiously going over the Monroe brothers' financial records.

“How's she holding up?” Fin raised his head to see Dodds watching him with expecting eyes. The detective sighed and looked back over to Rollins, who was carefully examining the photos on the board. Fin ran a hand over his face and leaned back in his chair.

“She's having a hard time. Her and Carisi are pretty close. He's Jesse's godfather.” he explained. Dodds nodded thoughtfully and turned back to his work, even more determined to find something helpful. He owed Carisi that much.

Carisi was the first one to befriend Dodds when he arrived at SVU. While the others were wary of the new addition of their team, he had approached the sargent after their first case with a box of cannolis and a goofy smile and told him _Us new guys have to stick together._ True to his word, Carisi always had his back and Dodds was immensely grateful for that.

The ding of the elevator echoed through the room and every head turned to see who had arrived. Liv, Barba, and Tucker walked into the bullpen with solemn expressions. Dodds, Fin, and Rollins jumped from their seats to meet them. The sargent was the first to speak. “Did you find anything?”

“There wasn't much in his apartment but a security camera caught a shot of the van they were driving. Hopefully, TARU can clean up the image and get a license plate number. What about you guys? Did you find anything?” Liv asked, her eyes hopeful. Dodds let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders.

“I've been combing through the Monroe brothers lives and, lets just say, I found too much.” he motioned for them to follow him to his desk. Once there, he opened his laptop and scrolled through his findings. “Charles Monroe owns a construction company that's worked on dozens of buildings all across the city in the past year; everything from apartment buildings to parking garages. I've made a few calls and it looks like Monroe may have kept copies of keys for at least three of those buildings which means that-”

“They could be holding him in anyone of those places.” Liv finished with a disappointed sigh. “Alright, Dodds, find out for sure which of those buildings the Monroe brothers have access to. They took him at six o'clock and made contact around 8:30. Figure out how far they could have gotten in that time frame and use that to narrow down the search.” she glanced down at her watch. “They should be calling back in about fifteen minutes.”

“What do you want us to do?” Fin asked, gesturing to himself and Rollins.

“I need you guys to notify his family.” she told them, her stomach twisting into knots. They had waited long enough.

“Maybe I should do that.” Barba suggested warily. He really didn't want to be the one to tell the Carisi family that their son was missing but he figured they might react better if they heard it from him.

“Barba, we need you here when the Monroe brothers call.” Liv told him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. The counselor sighed and nodded, knowing she was right. He needed to be there for Sonny. “Amanda, Fin, go.”

The two detectives nodded and collected their jackets before taking their leave. Barba let out a shaky breath, tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat. “What now?”

“Now we wait.” Tucker answered, his eyes sympathetic. He knew Barba didn't particularly like him and he didn't blame him. When Liv had told the IAB captain about the relationship between the detective and A.D.A, he'd had his doubts.

While he was personally very happy for the two of them and was sure that they would remain professional on the job, he knew that others may try to claim that their relationship was a conflict of interest in future cases. When Tucker told Barba this, the A.D.A became furious and had called him a hypocrite. Liv had separated them before things could escalate any further and the two men were careful to avoid each other ever since.

Barba looked pale as he nodded, staring blankly at a spot beside Tucker's feet. He felt like he was either about to pass out or throw up. Everything had been so hectic since Sonny disappeared that he hadn't had a chance to take a moment and process what had happened. His green eyes darted to Liv as he said, “I think I need a minute.”

“Of course.” she pointed to her office. Barba nodded in thanks and excused himself. He ducked through the doorway and fell into the nearest chair, his legs unable to carry him any further. The A.D.A's shoulders sagged as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Barba leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. His chest ached as he focused on his breathing. The same thought kept racing through his mind: _This shouldn't be happening._ He should be at home with Sonny right now, not in the middle of a hostage negotiation.

With trembling hands, Barba reached into his coat pocket and his eyes burned when his fingers brushed against the small box inside. He pulled it out, turning it over in his hands as his vision blurred.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Barba looked up to see Liv standing in the doorway, staring at the box with wide eyes. He nodded and opened it to reveal a silver wedding band. The lieutenant let out a small gasp as she sank into the seat next to him. “I was going to ask him tonight. You know, before all this happened.”

“Oh, Barba.” she gaped, looking close to tears. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling. This was suppose to be the happiest night of his life but instead, it had turned into an absolute nightmare. Without a second thought, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around her friend, whose shoulders were shaking with silent sobs. Her motherly instincts kicked in as she held him tight, whispering words of comfort. “Everything is going to be okay. We'll get him back and soon, this will just be a bad memory.”

“Lieutenant,” both Liv and Barba jumped as Dodds suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking apologetic and panicked. “its the Monroe brothers. They're calling.”

Liv turned to Barba, who closed the box and slid it back into his pocket. “Its time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who else is stoked for the season premiere? Be sure to let me know what you think of this chapter!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I literally just woke up this morning with this idea so I'm super excited about it! Let me know what you think and be sure to leave kudos.


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